Recycling Is All The Fashion In National Campaign

A national recycling campaign has set out to prove that green issues have never been more glamorous.

TV presenter and West End star, Denise Van Outen, has teamed up with leading ethical fashion designer Gary Harvey to launch Recycle Now Week – a national week of action to encourage us to recycle more of our household waste.

Harvey, the former Creative Director for Levis Europe, has designed a series of stunning recycled couture outfits, which have been modelled by Denise for the Government-funded campaign. The week, which runs from June 2nd- June 8th, will see hundreds of recycling events held across the country.

The inspiring fashion collection includes a ‘technicolour dream dress’, made from recycled cans, bottle tops, cardboard packaging, glass beads and plastic bags; a ‘tulle’ skirt, made from 30 newspapers; and a tiered ball gown, made from 42 pairs of used Levi 501s.

Harvey, who has also worked with, Adidas, Stussy, Junya Watanabe and Vivienne Westwood said: “The collection is a statement against a disposable culture, where we use something once and then throw it away. I wanted to show that it’s possible to create something useful and beautiful from waste materials. You don’t have to be a designer to do this. Every time we recycle, we give an everyday item a new lease of life.”

- New consumer research for Recycle Now Week reveals that over half of us feel guilty for not doing more to protect the environment. The nation’s top causes of ‘green guilt’ are throwing food away (41%), using plastic bags at the supermarket (33%), throwing packaging away instead of recycling (28%), leaving the TV on stand-by (27%), and travelling short distances in the car, instead of walking or cycling (23%).

Denise said: “These days, I think most of us have a much stronger awareness of how our behaviour impacts on the environment. I’ve been a keen recycler for several years, and it’s great to see that it’s no longer a minority activity. In fact, with everyone from George Clooney and Cameron Diaz to Lily Cole championing environmental issues, going green has never been more fashionable.”

Now in its fourth year, Recycle Now Week will see events across the country, from recycling exhibitions to environmental magicians, composting displays to eco-fashion shows. Local authorities, community groups, supermarkets and businesses are getting involved.

The campaign is jointly organised and funded by WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) – which runs Recycle Now, the national recycling campaign for England – in partnership with the leading materials recycling organisations British Glass, Corus, Novelis and Recoup.

Amanda Barry Hirst, Head of PR for Recycle Now, said: “Recycling is one of the most practical and convenient things we can all do to help our environment. The UK has experienced significant growth in recycling rates, and nine out of 10 homes now have doorstep collections. Recycle Now Week aims to inspire us all to do our bit.”